Slicing machine



Sept. 24, 1957 STElNMETZ 2,807,299

SLICING MACHINE Flled Feb. 28, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4.

V 1NVENTOR. Y FLOYD STEINMETZ QWM M ATTORNEYS United States Patent2,807,299 SLICING MACHINE Floyd Steinmetz, Penns Park, Pa., assignor toBurke Manufacturing Company, Buckingham, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application February 28, 1957, Serial No. 643,087 7 Claims.(Cl. 146 -78) This invention relates to a slicing machine. Moreparticularly, it relates to a machine which is adapted to perform asingle slicing operation as well as a multiple slicing operation. Themachine in accordance with this invention is particularly useful inconnection with food products, being capable on the one hand of cuttinglarge slices from, for example, apotato and also slicing, for example, apotato and then cutting the slices to reduce them in size.

The machine in accordance with this invention is particularlyadvantageous in that it provides a very simple and effectivemechanismfor performing the above described operations. 7

It is therefore the broad object of this invention to provide a slicingmachine which can produce both large slices and slices which are reducedin size by being cut.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a slicing machinewhich is simple in construction and efiicient in operation.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent onreading the following description in conjunction with the drawings inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a slicing machine in accordance withthis invention broken away to show the driving mechanism;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the slicing machine in Figure 1 with the topcover removed and partially broken away to show a portion of the drivingmechanism;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the plane indicated bythe line 33 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevation taken at the position shown by the line 4-4in Figure 2 and showing the control for adjusting the thickness of thesingle slices;

Figure 5 is a vertical section of the slicing machine in Figure 1 takenon the plane indicated by the line 5-5 in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged View of the driving mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is an end elevation on a reduced scale of the single sliceknife assembly shown in Figure 6.

As shown in Figure 1, a slicing apparatus 2 in accordance with thisinvention, is driven by an electric motor 4 mounted in a housingindicated at 6. As best seen in Figure 6, motor 4 is connected byreleasable coupling 8 to a shaft 10 which passes through seal 12 and iscarried by bearings 14 and 16. A worm gear 18 keyed to shaft 10 engagesa gear 20 which is secured to shaft 22 by pin 24 (Figure 2). A worm gear26 keyed to shaft 22 is engaged with a gear 28 which is keyed to shaft30 carried by bearings 32 and 34.

Shaft 30 is keyed to a planetary gear housing 36 which containsa'planetary gear system comprising gear 38 which is fixedly secured tohousing 6 by screws 39 and gear 40 which is keyed to shaft 42. Shaft 42passes through seal 48 and is carried by bearings indicated at 44 and 46in planetary gear housing 36 and by the bearing indicated by 5!) in arm52. It will be noted that housing 36 functions as an arm in theplanetary gear system which includes gears 38 and 40.

Ann 52 is in the form of a hollow shell and has a cover 54 removablyheld by screws 56. Within arm 52 is a belt 60 which engages a pulley 62keyed to shaft 42 and a pulley 64 keyed to a shaft 66.

Shaft 66 is mounted in a bearing 68 in arm 52 and in bearings 70 and 72mounted in housing 74. A helical gear 76 is keyed to shaft 66 andengages helical gear 78 which is secured to shaft 80. As best seen inFigure 5, shaft 80 carries a gang cutter 82 of closely spaced rotarycutting knives and a gang cutter 84 of more widely spaced cuttingknives. Housing 74 is integral with carriage 88 to which are securedslide members 90 which ride in oppositely disposed rail members 92, 92.Clean-out plates 94 which are mounted over each of the gang cutters 82and 84 are pivotally secured to carriage 88 at 96. Cleanout plates 94are secured to frame 88 by knurled screws 98.

Knives are secured in recessed portions in cover plates 94 (Figure 2) byrecessed screws 102. The knives 100 are adapted to slice the article feddownwardly through hoppers 194 by, for example, weights 106. BeloW eachhopper 104 is a platform 107 secured to carriage 88 and which is adaptedto support the item to be sliced.

As shown best in Figure 5, gang cutters 84 are provided with a guard 110which has fingers 112 extending upwardly between the cutting blades.Guard 110 is removable, being secured to carriage 88 by knurled screws114. A similar guard, not shown, is provided for gang cutter 82.

It will be noted (see Figure 3) that the leading edges of covers 94 arebevelled at 116 and that the supports 107 are bevelled at 118 inorder toguide the material sliced bythe knives 100 to the gang cuttersrespectively. A pad 117 secured to the bottom of each hopper acts toprevent the slice cut by knife 1% from being moved rearwardly. I

For cutting large slices there is provided a knife 122 having leadingcutting edges 119 and 129 (Figure 7) which isadapted to slice materialfed into hopper 124 or 126 in end block 127 by members 128 and 131),respectively (Figure 1). Knife 122 is held against shoulder 123 on shaft22 by a nut (Figure 6). Knife 122 is mounted in slot 131 of backingwheel 132. Webs 133, integral with the inner face of wheel 132, act todislodge any cut slices wedging behind wheel 132. Wheel 132 has a hub134 and is slidably mounted on shaft 22 by a key 135 which abuts againstknife 122 and has a pin 136 which engages opening 137 in knife 122.Adjacent hub 134 is a ring 138 having a circumferential groove 140. Apin 142 engages groove and is eccentrically mounted on shaft 144. Shaft144 is supported by brackets 146 and 148 and passes through housing 6. Acontrol knob 150 is mounted exterior of housing 6 on shaft 144 and hasassociated with it a plate 152 with indicator markers marked thereon toindicate the relative position of the cutting knife.

As best seen in Figure 1, housing 6 is provided with a removable topcover 162.

Operation Motor 4 rotates planetary gear housing 36 through shaft 10,gears 18 and 20, shaft 22, gears 26 and 28 and shaft 30. This results incarrying shaft 42 and gear 40 about fixed gear 38 and causes therotation of shaft 42. Through pulley 62, belt 60, pulley 64, shaft 66,gears 76 and 78 and shaft 80, gang cutters 82 and 84 are rotated. At thesame time carriage 88 and hence knives 100 are reciprocated by arm 52 asit is moved by shaft'42. Thus an article fed through a hopper 104 issliced by a knife 100 and the slice cut into small pieces by one of thegang cutters 82 or 84.

Knife 122 and wheel 132 are rotated by motor 4 3 through shaft 10, gears18 and 20 and shaft 22, wheel 132 being rotated by key 135 and knife 122being rotated by pin 136 projecting from key 135 into opening 137. Thethickness of the slice cut'iscontrolled by advancing or retracting wheel132 on shaft 22 through control knob 150, shaft 144, pin 142 and groove140 in ring 138, the position of the knife 122 remaining fixed. The cutslices pass through openings 166, 166 in wheel 132andypass downwardlybehind wheel 132.

It is not desired to be limited except as set forth in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A slicing machine comprising a feed hopper, a reciprocating carriage,a knife secured to the carriage and adapted to slice an article fedthrough the hopper, a to tary knife mounted on said carriage, lying in aplane substantially perpendicular to said first mentioned knife andadapted to cut a slice made by the first mentioned knife into aplurality of pieces, and meansto drive said rotary knife including ashaft mounted for rotation on the carriage, an arm, said shaft beingrotatably mounted in said arm, a second shaft rotatably mounted in theopposite end of said arm, means to rotate said second shaft on its axisand about a point spacedfrom said axis and a driving connection betweensaid-shafts 2. A slicing machine comprising a feed hopper, areciprocating carriage, a knife secured to the carriage and adapted toslice an article fed through the hopper, a rotary knife mounted on saidcarriage, lying in a plane sub stantially perpendicular to said firstmentioned knife and adapted to cut a slice made by thefirst mentionedknife into a plurality of pieces, and means to drive said rotary knifeincluding a shaft mounted for rotation-on the carriage, an arm, saidshaft being rotatably mountedin said arm, a second shaft rotatablymounted in the opposite end of said arm, means to rotate said secondshaft on its axis and about a point spaced from said axis, a Wheelsecured. to each of said shafts and a belt connecting said wheels.

3. A slicing machine comprising afeed hopper, a reciprocating carriage,a knife secured to the carriage and adapted to slice an article fedthrough the hopper, a rotary knife mounted on said carriage, lyingin aplane substantially perpendicular to said first mentioned knife andadapted to cut a slice made, by the first mentioned knife into aplurality of pieces, and means to drive said rotary knife including ashaft mounted for rotation on the carriage, an arm, said shaft beingrotatably mountedin said arm, a second shaft rotatably mounted inth'eopposite end of said arm, means to rotate said second shaft on its axisand about a point spaced from said axis, a pulley secured toeach of saidshafts and a belt connecting said pulleys.

4. Aslicing machine comprising a feed hopper, a reciprocating carriage,a knife secured to the carriage and adapted to slice. an article fedthrough the hopper, a ro-, tary knife mounted on said carriage, lying ina plane substantially perpendicular to saidfirst mentioned knife andadapted to cut a slice made by the firstmentioned knife into a pluralityof pieces, means to drive said rotaryknife including an upstanding shaftmounted for rotation on the carriage, an arm, said ,shaft beingrotatably mounted in said arm, a second shaft rotatably mounted intheopposite end of said arm and a driving connection between saidupstanding shaft and said second shaft, and means to rotate said secondshaft on its axis and about a point spaced from said axis, said rotatingmeans comprising a planetary gear fixedly secured ,to said second shaft,a stationary gear engaging said planetary gear, an arm pivotally mountedon the axis of the stationary gear and pivotally connccted to the secondshaft, means to rotate said second mentioned arm on theaxis of thestationary gear. i i

5. A slicing machine comprising a-feed hopper, a reciprocating carriage,a knife secured to the carriage and adapted to slice an article fedthrough the hopper,'a rotary knife mounted on said carriage, lying in aplane substantially perpendicular to said first mentioned knife andadapted to cut a slice made by the first mentioned knife into aplurality of pieces, means to drive said rotary knife including anupstanding shaft mounted for rotation on the carriage, an arm,said.shaft being rotatably mounted in said arm, a second shaft rotatablymounted in the opposite end of said arm, and a pulley secured to each ofsaid. shafts and a belt connecting said pulleys, and means torotate saidsecond shaft on its axis and about a point spaced from said axis, saidrotating means comprising a planetary gear fixedly secured to saidsecond shaft, a stationary gear engaging said planetary gear, an armpivotally mounted on the axis of the stationary gear and pivotallyconnected to the second shaft, and means to rotate said second mentionedarm on the axis of the stationary gear.

6. A slicing machine comprising a feed hopper, a reciprocating carriage,a knife secured to the carriage and adapted to slice an article fedthrough the hopper, a rotary knife mounted on said carriage, lying in aplane substantially perpendicular to said first'mentioned knife andadapted to cut a slice made by the first mentioned knife into aplurality of pieces, means to drive said rotary knife including anupstanding shaft mounted for rotation on the carriage, an arm, saidshaft being rotatably mounted insaid'ar'm, a second shaft rotatablymounted in the op posite endof saidiarm, and a driving connectionbetween said upstanding shaft and said second shaft, and means to'rotate said second shaft on'its axis and about a point spaced from saidaxis, said rotating means comprising a planetary gear fixedly secured tosaid second shaft, a stationary gear engaging said planetary gear, anarm pivotally mounted on the axis of the stationary gear and pivotallyconnected to the second shaft, a shaft secured to said second mentionedarm on the axis of the stationary gear, a counter shaft connected byworm gears to said third mentioned shaft, means to drive said countershaft and a rotary knife secured to the counter shaft.

7. A slicing machine comprising a feed hopper, a reciprocating carriage,a knife secured to the carriage and adapted to slice an articlefedthrough the hopper, a rotary knife mounted on said carriage,"lying in aplane substantially perpendicular to said first mentioned knife andadapted to cut a slice made by the first mentioned knife into aplurality of pieces, means to drive said rotary knife including anupstanding shaft mounted for rotation on the carriage, an arm, saidshaft being rotatably mounted in said arm, a second shaft rotatablymounted in the op posite end of said arm, and a driving connectionbetween said upstanding shaft and said second shaft, and means to rotatesaid second shaft on its axis and about a point spaced from said axis,said rotating means comprising a planetary gear fixedly secured to saidsecond shaft, a stationary gear engaging said planetary gear, an armpivotally mounted'on the-axis of the stationary gear and pivotallyconnected tothe second shaft, a shaft secured to said second mentionedarm on the axis of the stationary gear, a counter shaft connected byworm gears to said third mentioned, shaft, means to drive said countershaft, a rotary knife secured to the counter shaft, said secondmentioned rotary knife comprising a backing wheel slidably mounted onthe counter shaft, means to adjust the position of the backing plateonthe counter shaft, and a cutting blade mounted for rotation with saidbacking plate.

References Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS2,406,107 Quinn Aug. 20, 1946 2,442,210 Quinn et al. May 25, 1948'FOREIGN PATENTS 316,535 Great Britain Oct. 24, 1928

